Creativity Lesson: Learn your Inner Creative Roles

*This lesson coincides with Whack on the Other Side from Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger von Oech.

Suggested Books (paid link)

 Lesson created by Ashley Killeen

Grade level range: 4-12

Length of time to teach lesson: 8 minutes


Overview of lesson:  Students are read a quotation as an introduction. Students will be given a set of cards that introduce each role and summary of their purpose. An individual needs to be flexible and be able to move in and out of all four roles of creativity: Explorer, Artist, Judge, Warrior. Students will then use the information on the cards to complete a foursquare note taker. They can draw a representative image, write down synonym words, metaphors, etc.

Objective (Learning target) of this lesson: I can describe to a partner the four roles necessary to become my own creative team using evidence from the flip cards.

Resources/supplies/handouts needed to teach this lesson:  Flip cards (2x), Four Square note taker, rubric
 
Step-by-step teaching instructions for your activity/lesson: 

Teacher reads the “hook” quote out loud to students: “Ideas are great, but they aren’t worth much if you don’t use them. It’s important for you to get your ideas into action. Your problem is that you’re not using all four roles of the creative process” (pg. 228). 

Students are given the flip books and note takers.

Students are given the directions which are to take the information on the cards and create a representation of what they learned about each role on the note-taker.

Students can take these roles into any content-level work. For example, brain storming ideas for a project or ways to solve a science problem.
 

Assessment:  This is an introductory lesson to creativity and is not intended to be a grade in the grade book. With that in mind, students are not shown the rubric beforehand. This activity is to give an insight to the students (and teacher) where they are currently at in regards to creativity, and to give a place to start building their skills. Students will complete the rubric after the they finish the activity. They will use the rubric to self-asses themselves on their product. After students’ self-asses they will turn in their product and their rubric to the teacher. The teacher can keep this as evidence to return to students at a later date so they are able to compare where they started, and how far they have come in fostering their own creativity.

 

 

 

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